FAQ’s
Q: Who is Greenville's textbook partner?
A: We have signed a contract with eCampus, an industry leader for price, selection and customer service.
Q: What drove the transition from Tree of Life to eCampus?
A: The changing contract terms with Tree of Life (price increase forced change from all-inclusive to a-la-carte model) and customer service issues drove the college to consider new companies.
Q: What are the benefits to students?
A:
- Save on textbook rentals, buy used or new, and search for eTextbooks
- Free shipping on orders over $59
- Extend or purchase book rentals
- Instant access to eTextbooks
- Choose where they want books shipped
- Use their campus network login for access to their account via my.greenville.edu
- Search textbook options when they register for classes at Greenville
- Satisfaction guarantee through eCampus
Q: How have students been notified?
A: We used a number of channels to communicate the change to eCampus and the need to order books:
- Multiple emails from different offices
- Multiple email alerts to UNIV 100 students
- Multiple social media blitzes
- Announcements on my.greenville.edu
- Information at Panther Registration Days
- Admissions staff trained to discuss with students and families
- Offices have personally reached out to students in their programs: Adult Studies, International Team, School of Education
- Posters on campus
- Inclusion in letter communication flow to new students when they receive information about network/email accounts
- Chapel announcements
- Posting on D2L
- Residence Hall meetings during NSO
- Kiosk in Greenville Central
- Updated information on www.greenville.edu
Q: Should I mention this to students?
A: Absolutely, please help us spread the news. The more they hear it, the better the transition will go. Remember to update all documents - including syllabi – to reflect the change.
Q: Will book pricing be better?
A: Yes, the pricing is more competitive than our former partnership, and they have the option to buy from the marketplace which is the lowest price available.
Q: How do students pay for their books on eCampus?
A: Just like other online retailers, when they check out they will need to provide a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account to make a purchase.
Q: What if a student says they don't have the means to purchase textbooks?
A: If they indicate they do not have the financial means, please help the student connect with the Financial Aid office in Greenville Central. If the student still has financial aid dollars available, we can issue credit vouchers on the eCampus web portal which will allow the student to attain books without spending out of pocket. If the student does not have financial aid available to cover book costs, our Financial Aid office can still assist in offering recommendations.
If a student does not have a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account to process a book order on the eCampus web portal, please help the student connect with our campus textbook liaison, Shani Quarton, in Greenville Central. We can also issue vouchers on case-by-case basis. Charges will then be applied to the student's account.
Q: Is a student required to purchase from eCampus?
A: No, students may shop around to find the best prices for textbooks. ISBN information is posted on the eCampus web portal, but the student can shop via the Marketplace options available right on the eCampus website, or check prices on Amazon, Chegg, and other textbook companies. Additionally, if a student runs into a problem attaining a book through eCampus (temporarily out of stock), the student can look for the textbook on Amazon or other sites. Nothing requires the student to purchase/rent ALL textbooks directly from eCampus; they are free to mix and match to get the best prices.
Q: What if a student reports that they have not received their books from eCampus?
A: First, make sure student understands that eCampus does not automatically send textbooks on their behalf. The student must be active in looking up textbooks and purchasing according to their preferred method (rent, buy, digital download). Second, eCampus sends an order confirmation as soon as the order is placed. You can ask the student to verify they received the confirmation which indicates that the order was properly placed. eCampus also sends an email as each portion of an order is shipped.
If student has confirmation of the order and is still having trouble getting the textbooks, you can do the following:
- Check on greenville.ecampus.com. If the book is temporarily out of stock, it will identify this on the web portal
- Encourage student to contact eCampus customer support
- Help student connect with Shani Quarton, our campus textbook liaison, in Greenville Central.
Q: Can I check the price of a book I’m considering before I require them to buy it?
A: Their pricing – just like all textbook companies, including Amazon – is dynamic in that it may change slightly. Despite that, checking pricing is a good idea, as book price can be a barrier to a student taking your course. Check pricing by entering the ISBN into the search box at www.ecampus.com . If you are at a loss for a good, low-cost option for your course, they are happy to help.
Q: Will I get instructions on how to do my book submissions?
A: Yes, watch for emailed instructions near the textbook adoption season in the fall and spring. Our campus support team can assist you in ensuring adoptions are made on time. The system used for textbook adoptions is called FAST and is provided by eCampus. If you are assigned courses to teach, you will be able to access FAST by going to my.greenville.edu and clicking on the FACULTY & STAFF tab on the my.greenville.edu menu.
Q: Can I see the eCampus textbook portal to verify books are posted for rental/purchase and see what students see?
A: Yes, if you go to greenville.ecampus.com you can see the Virtual Bookstore. Click on the "order books" link on that site and you can view textbooks for individual courses within a selected term. If students go to my.greenville.edu and access the Virtual Bookstore on the "Students" menu after they login, the Virtual Bookstore will show all books for courses that students are enrolled in for the term.
Q: Does eCampus provide desk copies for faculty?
A: eCampus will act on your behalf to request desk copies from the publishers. During the Textbook Adoption period when you can submit selections via the FAST web portal, you will see a button to request a desk copy. Ultimately, the decision to provide a desk copy is determined by the publisher. They may only provide digital copies, or require a minimum enrollment for a course in which you are requesting a desk copy.
Q: What should I do if I have not received a desk copy that I have requested?
A: You can email our eCampus team at launchteam@ecampus.com to check on status. You can also find this email address when you access the FAST system through my.greenville.edu.
Q: When I view my textbook adoptions in the FAST system, I see notes about publisher availability and a new edition. Does this mean eCampus will automatically update and ship newest edition to students?
A: No, they will not substitute a title without instructor approval. Those comments are provided as a service to keep you up-to-date regarding your preferred adoptions. They will do everything within their means to source the older, out-of-print editions from their used book distributors although they cannot guarantee availability.
Q: In the FAST system I see a note that eCampus has not approved my textbook. What does this mean? Is there anything else I need to do?
A: eCampus uses this for their own internal monitoring of textbook adoptions. If you have approved your text and submitted everything, there is nothing more you need to do.
Q: My course has been added after the textbook adoption period (OR I've been added as instructor after the textbook adoption period and no books were selected). What do I need to do make my textbook adoption?
A: After the textbook adoption deadline, you can email the eCampus team directly letting them know your textbook selection. They can be reached at launchteam@ecampus.com.
Q: I'm teaching a course with multiple sections. If I enter my textbook selection for the first section, will that apply to all sections?
A: No, each section is viewed as a separate course in the FAST system. However, you can click on the "Copy All" button when you go to place your adoption for subsequent sections and select your entry from the first section.